The present invention relates to a system for using at least one mobile terminal in a motor vehicle, such as a passenger automobile or a two-wheeled vehicle.
A mobile telephone can be used to communicate, via a short-range wireless Bluetooth system, with a vehicle and such that a telephone conversation can be performed using a hands-free facility of the vehicle. A so-called “mobile integration unit” of the vehicle accesses the telephone numbers of the mobile telephone and allows them to be displayed on a display of the vehicle. An operating device of the human-machine interface of the vehicle allows the numbers stored in the mobile telephone to be dialed. The menu design and the menu control on the display installed in the vehicle is determined by a sequence controller and/or program controller provided in the vehicle.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an improved system for using mobile terminals in a motor vehicle.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the mobile terminal and/or a terminal integration device provided in the vehicle is provided with a terminal sequence controller. The terminal sequence controller, in particular a program controller, cause the display of an operating and/or display interface on the vehicle display device, in particular a TFT display or a heads-up display, for operating functions and/or software applications or programs, which are provided by the mobile terminal. The applications or programs are can be applications installed or stored on the mobile terminal, which are provided by the mobile terminal even when the mobile terminal is used outside the vehicle and/or are applications installed or stored on the terminal which are provided in cooperation with devices of the motor vehicle via a corresponding communication coupling. According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the functions and/or applications are operated via the vehicle operating device, such as a push-turn actuator or the iDrive® controller of the applicant.
The system according to the present invention allows a driver to use the functions and/or applications of his mobile terminal in the vehicle via the display and the vehicle operating device. The operating and/or display interface or the menu design for operating and displaying in the vehicle is provided and/or instigated by the terminal sequence controller.
The hardware and/or software resources necessary for this purpose are entirely or partially provided in the system according to the present invention by the mobile terminal, and therefore have to be provided to only a small extent or not all by the vehicle. Because of the greatly varying development cycles of mobile terminals and vehicles, compatibility and/or reliability problems may thus be largely avoided. If the mobile terminal and/or the terminal integration device provided in the vehicle according to the present invention have the terminal sequence controller “matching” with the vehicle, the mobile terminal and its applications and functions may be used in the vehicle while employing the display and operating device of the vehicle.